Now prepared to be a pro
Sometimes in life, you have to put off your dream before you can actually accomplish it.
Josh Heintz of Cranberry Township did just that with his dream of professional dirt bike racing, waiting until he was done with college.
After attending Penn State University for four years to complete his degree in mechanical engineering, his return to racing wasn't always part of the plan.
“I kind of thought that part of me was behind me,” Heintz said on his racing career after college. “I started racing at 8 years old, raced throughout high school and then went to college and just thought that was a part of my life I wasn't going to return to.”
That obviously wasn't the case as Heintz is preparing for his second season racing in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, an off-road pro motorcycle series that takes place all over the country 12 weekends during the summer.
Heintz was just 4 years old when he started riding dirt bikes, and he has his dad to thank for that.
“My dad had always ridden growing up and he kind of got us into riding when we were young,” Heintz said. “There was a track up in Marienville, Fox Raceway, that we would pass on our way to camp. Then one day, my dad, brother and I stopped in and next thing you know we are all signing up to race.”
A year ago, Heintz made his pro racing debut at Mount Morris at the High Point race track, which is where he will race again this Saturday. Heintz also raced last weekend in Colorado at Thunder Valley.
“You don't want to buy into the highs and the lows too much,” Heintz said. “It's a long season and even though I am not doing all 12 rounds, stuff is going to happen, that's just motocross racing.”
Including the race at High Point this weekend, Heintz plans on racing at Redbud in Michigan, along with the three races in August in New York, Indiana, and Maryland.
Heintz works as a full-time project engineer in Sewickley. His degree in mechanical engineering doesn't just help him with his 9 to 5 job, but on the track activities as well.
“It taught me how to learn,” he said. “How to break stuff down and really analyze it. Body position, foot position, where your weight needs to be, how to analyze the track, all that stuff.
Since Heintz is entering his second season in the 450cc premier class, his familiarity with the tracks he will be racing adds more strategy and confidence to his racing tactics.
“I'm really excited for this year,” Heintz said. “I feel better on the bike this year compared to last year and physically I am better. It's better going into it knowing what to expect now.
“I'm just excited to get a chance to prove myself. I was just timid last year, the tracks were new to me. Now it's time to just buckle down and go for it because I know what to expect.”
When it comes to his racing future, Heintz has no set end date on his racing career, because all of this is still very new and he just wants to take it slow.
“I really don't know,” he said with a laugh. “I'm just taking it year by year. If you would've told me five years ago I'd be riding pro motocross in 2019, I'd tell you you're crazy.
“I think it's going well. I'm having an awesome time doing it and I don't see a reason to shut it down.”
